Stash | A documentary film
Synthetic drugs represent one of the most serious threats facing Kazakhstan. Beyond their devastating effects on users' health, drugs fuel a sharp surge in crime. In recent years, the number of addicts and drug-related offences has grown significantly. Particularly alarming is the rise in juvenile drug couriers. Through social media, young men and women — including teenagers — are offered "high-paying" work requiring no experience or special skills. They often fail to grasp either the full danger or the fact that drug distribution in Kazakhstan carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison. Kazakhstan's prisons are rapidly filling with people convicted for "stasher" activity. According to official figures, approximately 4,300 people are currently held in penal institutions for the distribution, possession, and production of narcotics. Over the past two years, the number of those convicted for drug distribution has risen by 30%. Why is Kazakhstani youth becoming increasingly drawn into the drug trade — and what does it cost them? That is what our new film is about. Share this film and talk to your children.